Following the team with a unique perspective on all things Phillies. Email me: PhilliesPhollowers@comcast.net – Peace, Love & Baseball – Jenn

Phillies Phestival 2008

It was a beautiful, sunny day yesterday for the Phillies Phestival, the annual charity event held at the ballpark with all funds raised going to towards fighting ALS or “Lou Gehrig’s disease.”This year, the event raised a record-setting $758, 540 in its 19th year running.I have posted some PHOTOS here on my photobucket site from the event and have a few to share with you here as well.I apologize for the grainy ones…combo of a very bad back lit situation and the wrong setting on my camera…oops!Oh well…it was hot and my brain was fried.Anyway, first I have a collage I threw together with Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Chad Durbin, Chase Utley and right in the middle, Jimmy Rollins with your favorite web site voodoo mascot and mine, J-Roll Smurf!And figuring we’ve all seen enough photos of me, I was kind enough to cover that part up JI have a fun story about that photo though…

So I walk over to Jimmy for the picture and he is already cracking up over the Smurf and starts telling me, “You know, I like smurfs too…” And I start telling him I knew that, and that is why I dressed him up like that…Then he proceeds to tell me with a huge grin on his face, “You know what they used to call me, back in the day?Papa Smurf.”Now I am cracking up!I showed him the back of the uniform where I had ironed on his name and number and he was very impressed.He said he liked it and that it was “very original.”So, I think J-Roll Smurf will be attending a few more games for luck JI don’t mind making a fool of myself; it’s all in good fun.J

Here’s another fun photo for the ladies!Should we play the “Guess Who’s Better Side This Is?” game or should I just tell you?Hee!Well, I shouldn’t say “better side,” the man doesn’t really have a bad side.It’s all good.Ok, ok, I won’t keep you in suspense…it’s Chad Durbin.And probably 50 or 60 people cracked up laughing while I took this picture as I turned to the line of people waiting for his autograph and said, “Ok, you know I have to do this, right?”Sorry, couldn’t help myself…he bent over right in front of me…it was like a bulls eye!

Wound up getting 14 autographs by the end of the day and an odd assortment of pictures.I would have done better, but the Chase Utley line alone took me an hour and a half!And what an ordeal that was too.The guy in front of me kept making trouble by trying to let someone cut in; he got caught so then he tried to take that guys stuff for him to get it signed and the ushers wouldn’t let him do that either so he got in trouble again and this time, they pulled him out of the line!And all this happened right as it was my turn at the front of the line so I was already a frazzled mess and then to make it worse, the usher standing next to Chase yells at ME!He points at my camera and says, “Make sure YOU don’t hold up the line by stopping to take a picture.Take it while you are moving!”WHAT???Mind you, I have been standing by quietly, smiling and behaving the entire 90 minutes and now this guy has the nerve to YELL at me for no reason?I was SO upset I nearly cried and forgot to take the picture at all.Poor Chase saw the look on my face and asked how I was and I was like, “Ok I think” and he signed my photo and gave me one of those “oh you poor thing” smiles.He was already annoyed with how things were going…I had seen him “correct” the ushers a few times before that while I was waiting in line.Earlier, the ushers were telling people they couldn’t take photos at all and Chase looked right at them and said “Yes they can.”By the time I slid over to Jimy Williams (sitting with Chase), I was shaking like a leaf and couldn’t pull his photo out of the sleeve and he was trying to calm me down!He said, “It’s ok, take your time, there’s no hurry.”He’s such a nice man.JFinally, I was out of that line and every other line was fine…no problems at all.

Now, for anyone who has not been to the Phestival, don’t let what you just read discourage you from going.This is NOT typical.I’ve been going every year for 8 years and have NEVER seen this happen or been treated this way.Usually, everyone is very nice and friendly and the event is lots of fun.I have no idea what happened in that one line, but whoever was in charge over there simply blew it.They obviously panicked because they knew there was a high demand for Chase’s autograph and tried to change how things are usually done to try to get the line to move faster.But you can’t tell people not to take pictures or HOW to take them and you certainly shouldn’t be yelling at them.

So, I have certainly not had a lot of luck in the Utley department this week!First the picture that didn’t come out on Photo Day and now this!Geez, when will MY streak end?In other news, the team has officially announced adding JA Happ back to the roster to take Adam Eaton’s spot now that he has accepted a minor league assignment.Do I smell a trade in the air though?Guess we will just have to wait and see…On to DC tonight!Go Phillies!

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